An Alternative Disaster
by StrawberryLulzJamm
Summary: The Antidote has been found and Ai refuses to take it. The Organization is still here and the FBI is still after them. And Conan is...gone? This story takes place before Akai's encounter with Kir.


Hiii! So this is my first fan-fiction that I post up (not the first I write). Read and review please but no flames because hating isn't cool.

I had to edit this chapter a little since it wasn't working with the story line I originally had in mind. So here you have it, the renewed Chapter 1, which hopefully gives a better idea of the story I'm trying to bring to life. I'm also leaving on a 2 month vacation to a place with virtually no internet, so I won't be updating during that time, however, I will continue to write so you can expect updates in August when I get back.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed or any of its resulting characters. I do however, own the characters I create. Such as Kento Tsurugi and other possible characters I later add. =D

Note: I would very much appreciate if someone is willing to edit/correct grammar of my stories as I may have some stray grammar and spelling mistakes.

ENJOYY! ^.^

**Chapter 1**

Ai walked out of the house and looked up. It was going to be another sunny day. She spotted Ayumi standing at the gate, looking hesitant about whether to ring the bell or not. Ai was sure it was about what happened last week. Ayumi still could not get used to the idea of Conan being gone. Ai walked over to her and opened the gate. Ayumi jumped up out of surprise, " Ahh! Ai-chan..umm..i was..just...walking around the neighbourhood! And...I decided to...say hello. So yeah..Hi! Ok I'll go now. See you on Monday!" Ayumi turned around to hide the red cheeks of embarrassment at being caught and started walking when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Its ok, you can come in. You wanted to talk, right?" Ai took Ayumi's hand and led her into the Professor's house. She'd found that since Conan had gone, she had been more patient with the detective boys. She noticed how she stopped making sarcastic comments and had been more co-operative with the kids, even helping them solve the occasional case at school or the puzzles the Professor gave them.

Agasa had noticed this too. He smiled and said his hello as Ai walked in with Ayumi, and proceeded to the kitchen to make some snacks for the very upset looking young girl. At first, when she heard Conan was leaving, she was ok with it. Because she was sure he'd come back to visit. But then he'd taken her aside and explained to her that he probably wasn't going to be able to come back. That was when she broke down into tears and hugged him and sobbed into his shoulder. The two of them had stood there in an embrace until Ayumi had gotten drowsy, and the Professor had picked her up and driven her home. And even after that, Conan stood there, looked on by Mitsuhiko and Genta, who also felt betrayed by their friend's sudden departure. Ai, however; understood the situation. She'd even foretold it. She thought back to the series of events as Ayumi got comfortable on the couches and started watching the news broadcast that was on the television, as she munched on the snacks provided. It was a given that she wouldn't start talking right away.

The story the Detective Boys were told was that Conan's father had passed away, so his mother had come to take him to America, where they would stay for good. But they were lied to. With good reason. Ai and Conan couldn't exactly tell them that Conan Edogawa wouldn't exist anymore. What actually happened was that Haibara Ai, or rather Miyano Shiho, had been successful in figuring out the antidote for Apotoxin 4869, and once she'd confirmed the effects were permanent, Conan had very excitedly volunteered to take it first, since it hadn't been tried on humans yet. So they called up Conan's parents, Yukiko and Yusako Kudo, and told them about what had happened. They decided to help out and made up a lie to get Conan away from Tokyo without much suspicion. It would take a while, but it had a high chance of working.

They had to carry out their plan very carefully, no one should suspect anything. And since Conan's parents were related to the infamous Kudos, they had to make sure to keep the media in the dark about the ordeal. And that meant Shinichi's mother and father being unable to attend the funeral. They had to introduce Kudo Shinichi very casually back in, so that no one would think along the lines of "Conan disappeared, Shinichi appeared." Especially not Ran since she was already suspicious. So they decided, instead of Shinichi coming to Tokyo right away, that he was going to stay with Conan and his mother in Amsterdam where they would live, and make sure the two were alright and all set up. He would take on the temporary position of Conan's 'big brother' and only leave when he was sure they were going to be ok. It was a brilliant plan. Very believable. No one suspected a thing.

So Shinichi took the pill, went back to his now 19 year old body, and came back to Tokyo 3 months after Conan had left. He had emailed Ran occasionally, updating her on how 'Conan was doing alright' and 'he's making many new friends at school' and 'he's always wondering how the detective boys are doing' , and Ran would tell him that although the detective boys had become less enthusiastic , they were coming back around slowly. Recovering, from the loss of a very dear friend and team leader. Ai suspected this was where she'd gotten used to patience, she smiled mentally at the thought of how Shinichi had called her many times, to complain how it was sooo depressing and how the plan was taking forever. And to ask why he can't just come back now. He also asked why Ai had not taken the pill. What on earth was she waiting for? She'd used her normal, Ai-signature-sarcastic tone, "Well, I would rather wait a little longer to look out for any possible negative effects on you. This hadn't been tried on humans before, remember?" Shinichi felt a twinge of anger, she was using him as her guinea pig! Then again, he didn't exactly care. He felt fine, and was sure that nothing would go wrong. He also knew that she was confident of his well-being. So why was she waiting? There was something she was worried about. Perhaps the Black Organization. Shinichi had assured her that everything would be fine but maybe she was still worried. That they'd find her, and kill her. She had almost stopped him from taking the pill. But he insisted that the Black Organization would not be around for much longer. He didn't tell her everything. But it was enough for him to make her hesitate and grab the pill from her.

Ayumi turned off the television set, and turned to Ai. "I've been thinking about something. What if..when Conan's older, he'll come back and visit? I mean, we were such a great detective team. Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Ai stepped out of her thought bubble, and switched back to reality, as a pair of round, blue eyes came into view, staring right into her eyes, as if they could see right into her. Ai found this very unnerving, the girl had a very piercing stare, "Well personally, I don't think he'll come back. That's just the way things work. You lose friends, and make new ones, and the best you can do is to never forget the ones dearest to you." Ai knew she was being cruel, but what would have been worse was putting false hope into the young girl's heart. For all Ai knew, Ayumi loved Conan deeply enough to fly to Amsterdam and hunt him down.

Ai smiled. Conan was Ayumi's first love, so she wasn't going to forget him easily, perhaps never. But she will grow up and meet many other individuals who she may love even more. As she explained that to Ayumi (the first love part), she watched the 10 year old girl blush. Ayumi already knew all that, but hearing it from someone else helped put it in perspective. For example, she'd started to notice lately how nice this boy, Tsuruga Kento, had been to her at school. He was very cute too! Always asking to sit with the group at lunch, and offering helpful advice and witness statements when they were investigating. Soon enough, he'd be an ordinary member of the detective boys. He walked her home often, and always went out of his way to spend time with her at school. Everyone noticed. Even the very food oriented Genta. Ayumi felt much better, and her and Ai spent the lazy Saturday afternoon curled up on the couch, talking about nothing and watching random shows.

Ran had been pretty upset too, particularly when she'd found out that Conan's "father" had "passed away". But she was glad he would get to be with his mother from this point onwards. She was sure she'd never be able to provide the support Conan needed. There was a certain void that only parents could fill. Ran knew that from experience. When her parents had separated, she realized how blank life was like without your parents there. But she always had one or the other, and now Conan had only his mother to live with. He spent a lot of time staring into space after the bad news had been delivered.

Many people had come to visit, to try and console the usually very bright young child. But what could they say? He was a 10 year old. With no father. A father he didn't see for 2 years. And now he'd never see him again. So while he sat there, trying his best to pretend and bury his feelings of guilt; Ran tried to be as supportive as possible. Tried her best to introduce happy thoughts into his mind, to avoid letting his personality disappear. It was hard to say goodbye. But Conan belonged best with his mother. So Ran said goodbye, and hoped that Conan would always be safe and well taken care of. The house had gotten much quieter, even Mouri Kogoro had gotten a little less rowdy since the kid had left. Ran suspected he missed the little guy, but Mouri would not accept any such story.

It was April 24th, and Shinichi was supposed to come back to Tokyo today. Ran hurried around the house, eager to get ready quickly and go welcome him at the airport. She was so thankful that it was a weekend, but was sure that even if it was a school day, Sonoko would have found a way to get Ran out of school and to the airport. Her best friend had been nicer to the young detective lately. On the occasions where he would call while Ran was with Sonoko, her friend had kept her mouth shut instead of blurting out insults at him left and right. It seemed the sudden change in Conan's life affected not only him but the people around as well. Ran figured it was probably the fact that Sonoko herself lives with her grandfather and sister, and does not know her parents very well.

Ran looked at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall and her eyes nearly popped out of her head, " Oh no! I was supposed to leave 20 minutes ago!" She grabbed her purse and ran for the door. Hailing a cab, she got in and the little car sped away and soon was blending in with the other cars on the road. The cab pulled up to the arrivals part of the airport and thankfully Ran had paid the fare ahead of time, allowing her to fly out of the cab, thanking the driver for getting her there fast. She located Shinichi's flight on the screen and walked over to the gate he should be coming back from. Looking around, she saw many people waiting, but the plane deck outside was empty, and it was 5 minutes past the arrival time, so Ran guessed they were running a few minutes behind schedule. Locating the waiting area, she sat down and pulled out her story book.

Shinichi looked at his watch. He was supposed to be at the airport by now. He hoped that Ran did not show up early. Otherwise, he'd be greeted with a punch to the face, and a kick to the groin. Maybe even a broken rib or two, if he kept her waiting long. Shinichi smiled. He was so excited to finally be able to come to Tokyo, and be greeted by Ran, as Shinichi. Not Conan. And without having to worry about when he'd turn back to a child. He felt so free. Finally without all that stress. It annoyed him to no end that Ai had refused to take the pill. Her first reason was that if the pill was faulty, she didn't want to die with him. Her second reason, and which probably made sense the most, how could Conan and Ai both disappear at the same time, for completely different reasons? At first they had considered Ai being adopted by Conan's mother, but it wouldn't have come across easily enough that Ms. Edogawa would lose her husband and immediately adopt a child. It would take her longer to recover. It made sense to him so he backed off and let her do what she felt was right. Besides, it would be too disastrous for the detective boys if they lose their two smartest members in one go.

He looked outside and almost jumped out of his seat when he spotted Tokyo Airport. He heard the pilot announce their arrival and he sat upright in his seat, feeling a knot grow in his stomach out of nervousness. He will be able to see Ran again. As Shinichi. For more than a day or two. He felt phenomenal! He put his jacket on and fixed his seatbelt as the plan started to descend. The motion of the plane finally stopped, and Shinichi, being ready, jumped out of his seat, grabbed his luggage and practically ran out of the plane, past the stewardess and into the airport. Luckily, he didn't bring any big luggage so he went right to the gate and stopped when he saw her. Her hair had grown longer, and she looked so innocent sitting there in a pale purple dress and a white sweater, reading what appears to be some sort of novel. The best part, she didn't look angry at all. Or impatient. Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief and started walking toward her.

Ran felt a presence and jumped out of her seat when she looked up and saw her childhood friend. She ran into his embrace, and he hugged her back. "Shinichi! You're finally here! I missed you so much!" He laughed at her enthusiasm, "Yeah haha there was a slight delay. How have you been?" "I've been great. And by the way Mr. Detective, you missed graduation. What are you going to do about that?" Ran gave Shinichi a sour look and stuck out her tongue, then proceeded to walk toward the airport exit. Shinichi followed, "You know, I never really gave that a thought. But I suppose I can take some summer courses to catch up." Ran looked back at him " Yea but that way you'll be busy all summer long! ...But then again, I guess it's always better than staying an entire year. Speaking of education, " Ran looked over at Shinichi and realized he wasn't paying attention. "Shinichi! Are you even listening? Shinichi!" The look on his face scared her, he looked terrified. She followed his eyes only to see the usual flow of people. Was it someone he knew? Ran wasn't sure but she didn't like how he reacted.

Shinichi's heart was racing and he was frozen in place. _I can't believe this! Its them! From the Black Organization..._ he looked on as two very familiar individuals dressed in black walked on the opposite side of the airport. One of them had very long platinum blonde hair and the other was wearing a fedora and sunglasses. _Gin and Vodka! What are they doing at the airport?_ He was relieved to no end when he realized they hadn't noticed him. Or so he hoped. They seemed very focused on something, with Vodka constantly staring at his watch and Gin scanning the arrival screens, not bothering with the people around them. Were they waiting for someone else from the Organization? Were they waiting for **him**? Both options scared him..and he decided to leave before he got a chance to find out which it was. "Come on Ran! I'm tired, lets go home!" Shinichi grabbed Ran's hand and they left the airport in a hurry. Shinichi felt the colour drain out of his face. Yes he was back but he still could not afford to go out in public. Not while the Organization was still around. Ran looked at him. He seemed to be thinking about something. As usual. It was the first time she looks at him clearly since he arrived. He was wearing a baseball hat, hiding half his face; which was very unusual. He was dressed in cargo pants, and a black t-shirt. _Definitely not his typical style of the unique suit_, Ran thought. It almost looked like he was trying to blend into his surroundings...

As they got into a cab, Shinichi opted to take a short nap while Ran decided to admire the scenery along the road. They decided that each would go to their own house and get together later, since Shinichi needed some time to unwind from the long flight from Amsterdam. Ran got out and the cab continued on, and soon they were at the familiar neighbourhood at which the huge mansion belonging to the Kudos was located. The jet-lagged detective got out, scanning his surroundings immediately before realizing how nostalgic it felt to be there. And then he began walking to what** should** have been the most dangerous place to be in. His house.


End file.
